The present invention concerns a door for a motor vehicle which is inserted into a recess of a body and which includes a door body braced on upright columns of the body, with the door body including an internal member, an external member, frames bordering on the columns, an impact protection device extending between the columns, and a support apparatus.
A door of the type mentioned above known from prior British document GB 2 101 535 A has a door body which is formed by an internal member and an external member. An impact protection device extends between frames of the door body running upright adjacent to a door column and a lock column. The impact protection device has two impact carriers running at a distance from each other and oriented in the longitudinal direction of the door, which are only connected to the internal member of the door body.
German document DE 29 34 278 A1 addresses a door for a motor vehicle in which an external member of a door body is made of plastic. The external member accommodating some basic attaching parts of the door is constructed in a self-supporting manner by means of ribbings on its interior. The interior is covered by means of an internal member.
One object of this invention is to create a door for a motor vehicle in which the door is provided with an impact protection device and in which a door body, including an internal member and an external member, is improved in connection with the impact protection device with regard to shock absorption.
According to the invention, this object is accomplished by providing an external member which is connected to the internal member by the support apparatus and which interacts with the impact protection device. Further features of the invention are defined by the dependent claims.
Advantages chiefly attained by the invention are that the interaction of the impact protection device fastened to the internal member with the support apparatus installed on the exterior of the door body leads to exemplary shock absorption properties of the door. Moreover, the support apparatus is simple in construction and can be integrated into the door body through the use of reasonable means. An especially functional construction of the door is attained when the internal member and the external member of the door body are made of high strength non-metallic material or carbon fiber-reinforced plastic and the impact protection device, or at least parts thereof, are made of metal. Metal is likewise used for the support apparatus. With this choice of materials, glue is chiefly suitable for connecting the support apparatus to the internal member of the door body.